The 20-hour warning strike by the German Train Drivers' Union (GDL) in the wage dispute with Deutsche Bahn has begun. Since Wednesday evening, passengers have had to expect significant disruptions in nationwide rail transport, as confirmed by a union spokesman. The warning strike is underway.
The work stoppage is set to last until Thursday evening at 6 p.m. According to Deutsche Bahn, both long-distance, regional, and freight traffic are affected. The company expects the effects to still be felt until the start of operations on Friday morning. Only then is traffic supposed to run smoothly again.
This is the first industrial action in the ongoing wage dispute between the railway company and the GDL. The union announced the warning strike unexpectedly on Tuesday, just a few days after the first round of negotiations between both sides in Berlin. During the talks last week, the negotiating parties initially agreed on a negotiation schedule with weekly meetings.
The next round of negotiations was scheduled for this Thursday and Friday. However, after the warning strike announcement, Deutsche Bahn canceled the meeting. "You either strike or negotiate. Doing both at the same time is not possible," said Chief Human Resources Officer Martin Seiler. "Anyone who breaks these agreements in this form and calls for strikes at short notice, putting the travelers at risk, cannot expect us to continue sitting at the negotiating table."
GDL chairman Claus Weselsky emphasized that warning strikes during ongoing negotiations were not unusual. "This is a completely ordinary process in wage negotiations when employees realize that the other side needs a lesson." At the same time, the GDL announced that it would still appear at the negotiation location on Thursday, despite Deutsche Bahn's cancellation. However, the union leader will not be present. He is expected to attend a rally in Schwerin instead.
Weselsky justified the warning strike with Deutsche Bahn's refusal to meet one of the union's core demands. The GDL is demanding, among other things, an additional €555 per month, as well as a tax-free inflation compensation premium with a duration of twelve months. However, the focus is on the GDL's demand for a reduction of the working hours from 38 to 35 hours per week for shift workers with full wage compensation, which the railway company rejects as unfeasible.
In the first round of negotiations, the employers offered, among other things, an 11% increase in wages with a duration of 32 months, as well as the inflation compensation premium requested by the GDL. The union rejected the offer.